Really no jobs for T14 grads?

[HR6352]

I hear people saying that in this economy there are no jobs for people from anywhere besides Stanford/Yale/Harvard.  Is this an exaggeration?  How many from Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago and the rest are still getting 6 figure jobs straight out of law school?

[SEC_2L]

Exaggeration...unless maybe you are dead-set on practicing in NY/CHI/LA/DC.

I'm at a low T2 school in the south and several people who just graduated got 160K and I will be making 6 figures (not 160) after graduating...

You have to do well in school but the jobs are out there even outside the T14 so I have to imagine there are plenty to go around at schools like UM, NW and Chicago...

I hear people saying that in this economy there are no jobs for people from anywhere besides Stanford/Yale/Harvard.  Is this an exaggeration?  How many from Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago and the rest are still getting 6 figure jobs straight out of law school?

[nealric]

I'm at a low T2 school in the south and several people who just graduated got 160K and I will be making 6 figures (not 160) after graduating...
 

This is the key. Those who just graduated were hired as summer associates at the height of the boom times. The picture is very different for current 2Ls.

To answer the OP: T14 grads are still getting jobs, but things out there are grim to say the least. Here at GULC, the top 1/3 or so of 2Ls got SA positions, the others... not so much. That doesn't mean unemployment, but it means no 6 figures. Back in 2006, that figure was more like 60-70% (which tended to be almost everyone who really cared about that sort of job).

[Contract2008]

I'm at a low T2 school in the south and several people who just graduated got 160K and I will be making 6 figures (not 160) after graduating...
 

This is the key. Those who just graduated were hired as summer associates at the height of the boom times. The picture is very different for current 2Ls.

To answer the OP: T14 grads are still getting jobs, but things out there are grim to say the least. Here at GULC, the top 1/3 or so of 2Ls got SA positions, the others... not so much. That doesn't mean unemployment, but it means no 6 figures. Back in 2006, that figure was more like 60-70% (which tended to be almost everyone who really cared about that sort of job).

Does that make you wish you had gone to Duke or Cornell.

[nealric]

Does that make you wish you had gone to Duke or Cornell. 

I have a job offer, so not particularly.
In any event, I don't think Duke or Cornell are really doing that much better.

[big - fat - box]

Just because someone got a 2L SA position last summer doesn't mean they have a job lined up now that they are a current 3L. Many students were "no offered" after doing 2L SA at big firms.

[nealric]

Just because someone got a 2L SA position last summer doesn't mean they have a job lined up now that they are a current 3L. Many students were "no offered" after doing 2L SA at big firms.
 

Indeed, but I thought we were talking about 2L SA positions for this upcoming summer. It seems the no-offer rate was about 1/3 for firms nationally, which seems to be about the percentage I've seen here at GULC. However, I think no-offers won't be as prevalent this summer due to the small class sizes.

[kennedyposter]

So unlike most people on here, I'm actually in law school and see what's going on with my classmates/recent graduates.  I go to a top 50 school (lower 40's...in DC)..you may be able to deduce which one it is. I don't know anyone who just graduated and is unemployed.  I'm not saying the job climate doesn't suck..because it does. You probably won't get some 160K private firm job with any level of ease if you don't go to a t-14 school.  I know plenty of people who have secured great jobs in DC whether in government, public interest, or lower-level private firms.  There are jobs...maybe not the 160K jobs that require you to work 80 hours a week. There are jobs, though. Don't let these pre-law people scare you. They don't actually know what being a lawyer entails, much less what the job market is actually like.  If you are fine with making 80k in the government or 50k in public interest, no worries. If you won't settle for any less than 100k on Wall Street, maybe reconsider law school if you can't get into a T14.

[big - fat - box]

I am in law school, finishing up my last year at a t14.

Most 2Ls at my school did not get SA jobs and a good number of 3Ls do not have jobs lined up for after graduation. Some may find jobs before graduation, but not everyone will. There just aren't enough jobs to go around. If anyone doesn't believe me, talk to current 2L and 3Ls and ask them in person what the job outlook is like for their classmates.

For government jobs, you can look at the Arizona Honors handbook and see what kind of competition you're facing there. For public interest jobs, get a list of public interest employers where grads have been placed in the last few years. Call them up a dozen or so and ask them how many positions are open for 2010 grads and how many apps they've received thus far.

[Contract2008]

I am in law school, finishing up my last year at a t14.

Most 2Ls at my school did not get SA jobs and a good number of 3Ls do not have jobs lined up for after graduation. Some may find jobs before graduation, but not everyone will. There just aren't enough jobs to go around. If anyone doesn't believe me, talk to current 2L and 3Ls and ask them in person what the job outlook is like for their classmates.

For government jobs, you can look at the Arizona Honors handbook and see what kind of competition you're facing there. For public interest jobs, get a list of public interest employers where grads have been placed in the last few years. Call them up a dozen or so and ask them how many positions are open for 2010 grads and how many apps they've received thus far.

True dat.